The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms - nudge v.

1) jog, poke, elbow, jab, dig, bump, prompt, shove; prod, push, US encourage: I had to nudge him to stay awake for the film's thrilling climax. --n. 2) jog, poke, elbow, jab, dig, bump, shove; prod, push, encouragement: Nigel just needs a nudge in the right direction.